Argentinian FM appeals to UN to act against Britain over Falklands

Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman denounced Britain's rejection of
United Nations resolutions calling for negotiations on sovereignty and
implored the UN to act.

1:26PM GMT 27 Mar 2013

Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman on Tuesday demanded talks with Britain on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, but Britain once again refused, citing the islanders' overwhelming vote this month to remain British.

Mr Timerman called the referendum "illegal" and on Tuesday said it was "truly deplorable" that Britain had repeatedly rejected United Nations resolutions calling for negotiations on sovereignty.

Mr Timerman spoke at the UN headquarters in New York after holding talks on the issue with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

He said the Argentine government had asked Pope Francis, who is from Argentina, to intervene.

"When Pope Francis was Cardinal Bergoglio he already said at that time that the Malvinas were Argentine," Timerman said.

Meanwhile, Britain's UN Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant countered that the Falkland Islanders were exercising their right to self-determination under the UN Charter, and sovereignty won't be discussed unless the islanders wanted talks.

He added that as far as the Holy See was concerned, "the traditional position of the Holy See is that it doesn't take any position on this issue and I wouldn't expect that to change with the change of the pope."

The islands in the South Atlantic have been British territory since 1765 but are claimed by Argentina, which calls them the Malvinas.